


Elaiólado

by paxfacere (flamiekitten)



Series: Zagnos / Hypzag Month 2021 [2]
Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Bath Houses, Bath Sex, Bathing/Washing, Blow Jobs, Face-Fucking, Hair Washing, Hair-pulling, M/M, NSFW Art, Public Blow Jobs, Semi-Public Sex, Voyeurism, includes artwork, no beta we die like zagreus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:23:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29856669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamiekitten/pseuds/paxfacere
Summary: Elaiólado(n.) olive oil.Zagreus and Hypnos visit the Tartarus fountain.
Relationships: Hypnos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Series: Zagnos / Hypzag Month 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2194530
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	Elaiólado

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [@HypZagMonth](https://twitter.com/HypZagMonth) event on Twitter. 
> 
> Inspired by the prompts: _Touch_ and _Curls_.

"Strictly speaking," said Zagreus, "this is not the fountain's intended use."

Glancing back at him over his shoulder, Hypnos fluttered his long lashes innocently before shrugging his quilted cape free. It slipped down his back like a waterfall of fabric, caught neatly in the crook of his arms before it could touch the floor.

"Aw, c'mon," Hypnos responded playfully, as he loosely folded up the garment and placed it down upon the nearest stone bench, "don't tell me you're having _second thoughts_?"

"I said nothing of the sort!" Zagreus denied with a grin, crossing the gap between them in one, flame-footed dash. Without his cape, Hypnos appeared to have halved in size -- and Zagreus took great pleasure in cupping the slim curves of his waist. "Maybe I get a thrill out of pointing out broken rules, did you ever consider that?"

" _Hmm!_ Now that you mention it, _that_ wouldn't surprise me one bit!" Hypnos beamed down at him, leaning forwards to place a kiss amongst the wild black spikes of his hair. "Kinda can't get undressed if you're holding me, though… Not that I'm complaining about being held!"

"Oh, by all means."

After giving Hypnos a final squeeze, Zagreus graciously stepped away to give him space and offered an elaborate bow for good measure.

Hypnos snorted at him and began to wriggle out of the rest of his clothing, thankful that he'd left the majority of his more elaborate accessories back at the House. His belt, chiton, and sleep mask all joined his cape, placed upon the bench, leaving him completely bare save for the golden bangle that adorned his arm. Zagreus' low, appreciative wolf whistle startled him out of his concentration and caused him to fluster briefly. A poorly-hidden grin gave away his true feelings of gratification at the attention, however.

"Yeah yeah, my eyes are up here!" he quipped, gesturing up towards his smiling face, before slipping the bangle free from his wrist and adding it to the top of the clothing pile.

Now fully undressed, Hypnos slowly eased out of his float. His bare feet came into contact with the stone floor and he squirmed with pleasant surprise at how warm it felt -- doubtless from the rivers of magma that coursed somewhere beneath them. Steam wafted from the surface of the heated pools, condensing as droplets upon his skin, and the quiet of the room was occasionally broken by the gentle drip and trickle of water. Shades milled about the chamber in their absent ways, some even congregating within the centre of the baths. This place was undoubtedly an oasis amongst the dreariness and torments of Tartarus, offering the rare opportunity to indulge in some of the pleasures once so easily obtained in life.

"Are you ready?"

Zagreus' voice popped the bubble of Hypnos' reverie and his drifting gaze snapped back into focus. He smiled dreamily down at Zagreus, noting the completely predictable messy pile of armour and clothing and laurels where it had all been unceremoniously dumped upon the floor right by his feet. Much more interesting were the items Zagreus held clutched against his chest, such as a large, empty jug and several, smaller bottles and containers hiding mystery contents within.

"Hm? Oh! Yes. Sorry, it's just so nice and warm in here…"

"Heh! At least the flooding of Asphodel had _some_ positive side effects, hm? Come on, then."

Zagreus set off with a purposeful stride towards the nearest pool, bearing his fragile cargo with uncharacteristic care. As he walked away, Hypnos' half-lidded gaze could not help but track the movements of his muscular thighs and the defined curve of his toned cheeks.

Was that hypocritical of him? Perhaps.

Trailing after Zagreus in a contented daze, Hypnos took a seat on the ledge of the pool and absently slapped the soles of his feet flat against the surface of the water. It was hot, but not painfully so.

"Do you remember," Zagreus said, setting down the various lotions and potions down within arms reach, "how Achilles and Nyx used to worry that I wouldn't be able to enter water, because of my feet?"

"Huh? Really?" Hypnos cast his gaze towards the ceiling, searching through his piecemeal thoughts for a fragment of memory. "Nothing's coming to mind. I must have been asleep for that."

"Oh, it's not _that_ important, don't worry," Zagreus laughed, sitting down next to him, "I guess their fear was, 'what if the fire goes out and it hurts him somehow'? It wasn't until I ran and jumped right into the Pool of Styx one day and came out unharmed that they realised they had nothing to worry about."

Zagreus lowered his feet into the pool, down to the ankles. There was a _hissing_ sound as the flames made contact with the water, but the curiously-watching Hypnos could plainly see that they continued to flicker and burn even beneath the surface. And _then_ Zagreus made a low sound of satisfaction that went straight to the depths of Hypnos' belly, near-enough stopping his train of thoughts completely.

"Uhhhh… _oh!_ Haha! Well, it's a good thing nothing happened to you, huh? Otherwise you would have had to come up with a whole other date idea for today!"

" _That's_ your main concern, here?" Zagreus teased. "Not that I could have died?"

"Well!" Hypnos eased himself off of the ledge and into the pool, shivering with delight as the warm water lapped around his thighs. "I dunno. Isn't dying kind of your thing?"

Before Zagreus could splutter out anything more than a laughing, "H… _Hey-_!", Hypnos ducked the rest of his body and his head beneath the surface and the rest of the words were lost to him.

Hypnos let his eyes flutter closed and just… bobbed there for a little while.

He wasn't a particularly skilled swimmer, but Hypnos delighted in the feeling of _weightlessness_ that came with submerging his entire body underwater. Yes, he had the ability to float in the air, but there was something _different_ about the water's warm, all-encompassing embrace.

It reminded him of his childhood, spent drifting from dream to dream with barely any interruption…

Something brushed past his side and he startled, flustering in the water for a moment, before realising it was just Zagreus, swimming over to meet him. The Prince's rough hands, palms and fingers slightly calloused from all of their weapons use, glided over Hypnos' bare, wet skin before coming to rest on his hips. The two of them surfaced and drifted towards the centre of the pool. It was deep enough that not even Hypnos' long legs could touch the tiled floor, so they tread water together. Hypnos pushed his damp curls (they were so long when wet!) out of his face and found himself staring directly into Zagreus' bright eyes. By contrast, Zagreus' hair appeared almost unaffected -- as though water alone didn't have the power to weigh down those unruly locks.

"Feels good, huh?" Zagreus murmured, gently thumbing along the curve of Hypnos' hipbone. "Can't believe it took us this long to actually try out the baths."

"No one really goes to Tartarus for _fun_ , y'know!" Hypnos snorted. "The tagline, 'come for the spa, stay for the eternal torture and torment!', _probably_ wouldn't go down too well with your dad."

Zagreus grimaced.

"Probably not," he agreed. "And besides, I like things better this way. We have this place _all to ourselves_. Well, excluding…"

He nodded his head in the direction of the shades, all of whom had conspicuously withdrawn from that particular pool in favour of those not currently occupied by the Prince and his company. They may have been incurably nosy, desperate for gossip and any deviation from the monotony of their afterlives, but they at least had the grace to offer the two of them a little "privacy".

Hypnos' lips spread into a mischievous smile.

"So you don't mind, then?" he asked.

"Mind what?"

"Oh, _you know_." Hypnos leaned down to rest his forehead against Zagreus'. Water dripped from the end of a white curl and landed on Zagreus' nose, which he crinkled. "All these eyes on us. If the two of us _get up_ to anything, _weeeeell…_ " He allowed the rest of his sentence to trail off into tantalising possibilities, gratified by Zagreus' little _huff_ of intrigue. "You know what shades are like."

"... I see." Zagreus tilted his head, angling his face into a better position to bring them even closer together. His lips ghosted along Hypnos', with barely a breath of space between them. "And do we intend to _'_ get up to anything'...?"

Hypnos grinned again, before claiming a warm, full-lipped kiss from Zagreus. His grip tightened on Hypnos' hips and a muffled groan became caught in his throat, the rhythm of his treading legs thrown momentarily out of sync. There was something innately delightful about being able to catch Zagreus by surprise like this.

"Mmm, not yet!" Hypnos announced, abruptly breaking the kiss again to speak. "I want to see what's in all of those bottles and things you brought along, first!"

"Huh?" Zagreus appeared to be a little dazed, tongue darting across his bottom lip. "Oh! Yes, of course. Let me show you."

Relinquishing his grip on Hypnos, Zagreus swam back over to the side of the pool. Standing at the edge, he reached over for the bottles and containers and brought them closer before selecting one in particular and holding it aloft for the approaching Hypnos to see.

"There we go. Maybe you could take a seat… ah, here?"

Zagreus tapped an underwater ledge that seemed to have been built for that purpose, before hopping out and perching on the edge once more. Moving to comply, Hypnos allowed himself another long, lingering look at Zagreus' naked body before manoeuvring himself into position and sitting facing away. There was a rustling sound as Zagreus unwrapped his chosen container and then a _splash!_ as he promptly dunked its contents in and out of the pool. Resisting the urge to glance over his shoulder, Hypnos sat and squirmed with curiosity, listening to Zagreus rub his palms together.

"Okay, let me know if I'm being too rough."

The firm, but gentle, upwards press of Zagreus' fingers along the back of his neck immediately dragged a soft groan of pleasure from Hypnos' lips. His face fell limply forwards, chin to chest, lashes fluttering closed. Zagreus' hands stroked higher still, burying his fingers into the wet curls and rubbing something slippery into Hypnos' scalp. It had a fresh, herbal scent.

"Mmmn… whaaa--"

"Olive oil soap," Zagreus explained, wetting his hands -- and the bar of soap, Hypnos now realised -- again before applying more of the oils to his hair, "with a few other things added -- crushed rosemary and thyme, I think. My mother has been bullying the gardens into growing something _other_ than pomegranates. Do you like it?"

"Mmmm… Keep going…"

Zagreus chuckled and did as he was asked, lathering the fragrant oils all through Hypnos' hair. For someone with a bit of a reputation for clumsiness and haste, he took care to make sure every inch of Hypnos' head received equal attention. Making use of the oil's lubricious nature, his fingers slipped and glided over Hypnos' skin and massaged the soap into the back of his neck, jawline, and ears. The slight roughness of his palms created the most _delicious_ friction that made short work of unravelling every remaining knot of tension in those muscles.

Hypnos was in a state of total _bliss_. He would have fallen asleep right there and then, but he was absolutely determined not to miss out on this much physical attention. Instead he slipped into a semi-doze, mind a pleasant blank, making no sound other than the occasional whimper or moan of delight.

"Enjoying yourself?" Zagreus' voice was velvet-soft and right by his ear. "I love how you sound right now."

" _Hahhhhh_ …"

"I'm going to start rinsing you off now, okay? Keep your eyes closed for me."

"No problem…"

The moment Zagreus' hands were no longer in contact with his body, Hypnos began to keenly miss their presence. He heard a scraping noise -- the sound of pottery grinding against stone -- and another, much louder _splash!_ of what could only be the large jug entering the pool.

Zagreus grunted at the extra weight as he heaved up the now-full vessel. He poured the water directly onto the crown of Hypnos' head, soaking him afresh with its tantalizing warmth. Rivulets streamed down his face and upper chest, carrying with them the scent of the infused oils and leaving him feeling fresh and clean. In-between every rinse, Zagreus set down the jug to work his fingers through the curls once more, rubbing and squeezing out the excess soap and wiping the residue down and off Hypnos' neck and shoulders. Zagreus' lips now occasionally joined his hands in their attention-giving, kissing and mouthing at Hypnos' clean skin with little breaths and signs of contentment.

"Y'just washed me off, and you're already getting me dirty again?" Hypnos' teased dreamily, rotating on the spot and kneeling up on the ledge to face him directly.

Zagreus' legs were spread apart in order to fit Hypnos between them, each knee hooked over the side of the pool. Like this, it was impossible to hide the fact that he was already half hard.

All of a sudden, Hypnos felt very much _awake_.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, delighting in the twin spots of pink that were creeping along Zagreus' cheekbones. Embarrassment, or just from the heat of the pool? "You weren't kidding when you said you were enjoying the noises I made!"

Smoothing his palms along the tops of Zagreus' thighs, Hypnos was rewarded by a groan and something half-way resembling a shameless grin. His cock twitched against his stomach, very quickly stiffening into full hardness as Hypnos' hands drifted closer still.

"What can I say? They were very _nice_ noises."

"Hehe! Flatterer."

Hypnos stopped resisting his natural buoyancy and allowed himself to float, anchored by his grip upon Zagreus' legs. With a few gentle tugs and squeezes, he encouraged Zagreus to shuffle closer towards the edge of the pool and then pressed his legs together. Resting one arm atop of Zagreus' lap, Hypnos stretched up to cup one of his cheeks in his other palm, stroking his thumb along his bottom lip. Zagreus pressed a kiss to the digit before letting his mouth fall open with a slow exhale, throat bobbing in a heavy swallow. The blush on his cheeks darkened.

"You really _don't_ mind, huh…" Hypnos commented absently, dragging the tip of an index finger up along the underside of Zagreus' cock. His reactionary gasp was somewhat thwarted by the silencing clap of Hypnos' hand against his mouth. "Ah- _ah_! Think you can keep it down for me? Before we're swarmed by peeping shades?"

His voice had dropped into a theatrical whisper, golden eyes sparkling with impish glee. When Zagreus nodded his hasty agreement, Hypnos treated him to a slow squeeze and tug at the base of his cock -- once again catching his (admittedly stifled) moan in the palm of his hand.

"There we go! Just like that." Praise slipped freely from his grinning lips. "I'm going to take my hand away now, okay?"

Gripping the edge of the pool, Zagreus nodded once more. Hypnos petted his cheek again in a gesture of pure affection, in tandem with another deliberately unhurried stroke up and down the full length of his cock. True to his word, Zagreus opted for biting down on his bottom lip over crying out loud, breath coming out in short, sharp exhales. Humming his approval, Hypnos laid his cheek on top of Zagreus' thigh, watching his face from behind shuttered lashes as he picked up the pace of his strokes.

The remnants of oils on his palm worked wonderfully well, allowing his nimble fingers to glide along the silky-soft skin with little resistance. The thrum of Zagreus' ichor -- red as mortal blood -- pulsed beneath his hand, lending a beautiful, dark flush to the leaking head that was now dripping pre over his fingers. Hypnos sucked it clean from his fingertips, earning himself another strangled groan, and absently noted the lingering taste of herbs amongst the usual salt tang.

"Hm! Interesting…"

"Hn-? _What's_ 'interesting'--"

"Shhh, _shhh_." Hypnos lightly slapped at his thigh in a show of gentle reprimand. " _You're_ supposed to be staying quiet, remember?"

Zagreus grunted a reply and Hypnos could feel his muscles bunching with anticipation; he was taut as a bowstring -- ready to release at a moment's notice. Someone had to anchor down the wayward Prince and reign in his habit of rush- _rushing_ towards his goals.

And Hypnos was nothing if not patient _._

Peppering kisses everywhere within reach, Hypnos hummed softly in the back of his throat as he resumed stroking Zagreus' cock. Everytime Zagreus' hips began to twitch and bounce he switched up his rhythm and angling, alternating between long languid caresses and short, measured tugs. Zagreus handled it remarkably well, muffling himself with his own hand while the other kept up its white-knuckled grip on the side of the pool. His chest heaved with irregular, heavy breaths, gaze transfixed upon the sight of Hypnos' maddeningly nimble fingers and innocently painted expression. Every so often Hypnos would pause to lick the gathering pre from his fingers, pink tongue darting out and around the digits with quiet -- _albeit completely obscene_ \-- noises of enjoyment.

" _Fuck_ ," Zagreus gulped, fighting to keep his voice down, " _Hypnos_ , I--"

Leaning in, Hypnos deftly closed his lips around the head of Zagreus' cock and lapped at the slit, still steadily pumping away. In a flash, Zagreus' hand shot up from the pool to the top of Hypnos' head, fingers coiling once again in the damp curls of his hair. His eyes finally closed, brow furrowing with effort as he diligently obscured every needy sound behind the tight seal of his palm.

Sparing a sidewards glance, Hypnos could already spot the lamp-like gaze of the shades whose curiosity had become piqued by whatever the two visiting gods were up to. Resisting the urge to smirk (difficult anyway, with a mouth full of cock) he got to work on giving them something _worth_ peeping at.

Carefully tugging back the loose skin, Hypnos fully exposed the slick, rosy head and watched as a pearly white bead of pre slid down the length of his cock. He chased it, taking several inches down into his mouth before his lips met with his own knuckles, fingers firmly gripping the throbbing base. Judging by the minute trembles of his hips, Zagreus was obviously fighting the urge to buck himself further down into his throat. He clutched helplessly at Hypnos' hair, sending sparks of pleasure rushing deep into the pit of his stomach. Hypnos' response was to pull back and then to pause right where he was, tongue darting with feather-light licks to the tip and frenulum, watching every desperate expression flutter across Zagreus' features with undisguised glee.

Lesson learned, Zagreus gradually loosened his iron grip on Hypnos' hair -- consenting to let him set the pace.

Hypnos supposed that he'd probably suffered enough by now.

With a soft moan, he slipped Zagreus back past his lips -- faster this time, taking more of his length into his mouth, into his throat. The blunt head of his cock nudged against the soft skin at the roof of Hypnos' mouth and Zagreus grunted, fingers momentarily tightening in his curls. He could practically _taste_ Zagreus' pulse as it throbbed staccato against his tongue -- and with it the ever-rising crescendo of his _need_. Face bobbing up and down and hand tugging methodically; Hypnos no longer deviated from the set rhythm, squeezing and petting Zagreus' hip reassuringly as they started twitching upwards once more.

Water, stirred into action by his movements, lapped against his waist and up his back almost in tandem with the motions of his tongue. The salt taste of pre now came thick and fast, a rivulet of saliva dripping from the corner of his lips and along the hollow of his throat. He suckled at the slit, swallowing down everything Zagreus had to offer him, groaning wordless demands for _more_.

Laying his hand down flat atop of Zagreus', he pressed down on his own head with clear encouragement. Zagreus' eyes flashed open and he stared down at Hypnos, questioning written all over his features -- clearly seeking a desire for verbal confirmation. Hypnos let his cock slip entirely out of his mouth. They were connected for a moment longer by a silver string of saliva that he broke with a lash of the tongue, pressing warm kisses and sharp nibbles to the underside.

"I know you want to," he murmured -- a little too enigmatically, judging by Zagreus' confused whimper, "C'mon, Zagreus. It's okay. Use my mouth the way you _want_ to."

Understanding dawned and Zagreus nodded breathlessly, drawing his hand away from his mouth to touch and caress Hypnos' cheek lovingly. Slowly, he started to roll his hips and face became illuminated by the usual, roguish smile -- only Hypnos could see the marks left behind on his bottom lip, where he'd clearly been biting down on it. Hard.

Oh yes, he'd suffered quite enough.

Licking one last trail up the full length of his cock, Hypnos then settled into place at the tip and kept his lips parted -- waiting.

Zagreus didn't need any more persuading.

Gently freeing Hypnos' fingers from their position around his length, he indicated the top of his thigh with a demonstrative pat. Hypnos complied, bracing both palms upon Zagreus' legs, eagerly paddling his feet back and forth in the pool. Taking hold of his own cock, Zagreus slowly dragged the head against Hypnos' lips before pressing forwards into his willing mouth. Now the grip on his hair served a different purpose -- to keep him still. To keep him exactly where Zagreus wanted -- _needed_ \-- him to be.

Within a few thrusts, Zagreus quickly began to lose all composure. Choking out nonsense murmurings -- a blend of praise and profanities -- he rutted himself again and again in and out of Hypnos' mouth. Hollowing his cheeks, Hypnos gave him _just_ enough of the resistance and pressure he was clearly seeking and made it so that Zagreus' had to just-about _force_ himself inside. His nails pressed into Zagreus' thighs, leaving crescent moon indents in the skin, and his damp curls bounced with every eager shove past his lips.

Sweat beaded on Zagreus' skin, eyes tight shut once again. He'd clearly forgotten all about his promise to stay quiet, as conscious thought was overridden by desperation -- by lust, pure and simple.

"Fuck, fuck-fuck- _fuck_. I can't, Hypnos, I-- I'm gonna--"

Hypnos loved him like this: like a mortal in worship, on the verge of rapture. He groaned his approval, low in his throat -- and no doubt Zagreus would be able to feel the vibrations against his cock.

He _growled_ , frantically jerking the base of his cock, knuckles nudging against Hypnos' mouth, losing control over the steady roll of his hips, closer, closer, _closer_ \--

And then, at the last possible second, Zagreus pulled himself out of Hypnos' mouth.

Just in time to finish on his face.

Eyes blown wide with surprise, Hypnos felt the cum drip down from his cheekbones, down over his lips and his tongue, down onto his chest. Zagreus worked himself right through orgasm, gnawing at his bottom lip, unwilling -- _or unable_ \-- to relinquish his grasp on Hypnos' hair until his cock finally stopped twitching in his fist. Releasing a giddy exhale, he leaned back -- propping himself up with one palm flat against the tiles. For a moment those mismatched eyes swept up and down over the sight of Hypnos -- as though to admire his handiwork -- before jolting into sudden, post-orgasm clarity.

"Shit-! I'm so sorry, I--"

"--Made a complete mess?" Hypnos finished for him, licking up the traces of cum from his lips and swallowing it down. "Honestly, I _was_ expecting you to just finish in my mouth, but oh well! The bath is kind of the perfect place _to_ make a mess in, huh?"

To prove his point, Hypnos backed up and then ducked down beneath the surface of the water to give himself a quick scrub, washing away the evidence of their activities. He surfaced again with a short gasp, grinning at Zagreus' slightly mortified expression.

"See! No harm done. Luckily you didn't get any in my hair -- otherwise you'd have to wash it all over again!" He swam back over to Zagreus, trailing kisses up from his knee to thigh. "So, how was that? You sure seemed to really enjoy it!"

" _Hah_ , you think so?" Zagreus chuckled, features softening as he swept a hand up his face and then back through his hair. "Talk about stating the obvious."

"Hehe, just wanted to make sure! I think our audience had a pretty good time as well."

Zagreus froze and Hypnos couldn't help but laugh, poorly stifling his giggles behind a hand. The moment Zagreus turned his head, all of the gathered shades with any modicum of shame promptly shimmered into blushing transparency. A considerable number remained in full view, their caricature white teeth spread wide in grins that varied from gently approving to downright lecherous, before gradually disbanding and resuming their previous activities. Zagreus dropped his face into his hands and groaned.

"I swear, if I start hearing rumours flying around the House…"

"Oh, _pffffff_ , don't worry! These shades can't leave Tartarus -- and besides, even if they could, they'd never do anything to get _me_ in trouble! They're my friends! Or at least… I think they are? We've talked a _lot_ , anyway."

Peering at Hypnos from between his fingers, Zagreus cocked an eyebrow before finally lowering his hands again with a resigned laugh.

"Hah… Well, really -- I only have myself to blame." He shrugged. "It's not like you didn't warn me about our peeping... _friends_."

Hypnos reclined, floating on his back with his arms folded behind his head. He winked up at Zagreus, poking his tongue out for good measure, as he lazily bobbed around with absolutely everything on display.

"You know, Zagreus … If I didn't know any better, I'd say you _enjoyed_ having an audience!"

"Oh, really now?" came Zagreus' reply, warm and soft and curiously dangerous. He slipped back into the water, approaching Hypnos with slow, measured steps. "You know what I think?"

" _Hmmmm?_ "

Hypnos did his best to sound unphased, though a nervous-eager tremble somehow made its way into his tone.

"I think…" Zagreus crouched, submerged down to the shoulders, "... that perhaps they deserve an _encore_."

He _leapt_ , pinning a delighted -- if screaming -- Hypnos down into the pool and a great splash of water erupted in their wake, clattering like raindrops down onto the surface. The shades that had hidden themselves winked back into existence one-by-one, drawn -- like bees to pollen -- to the promise of entertainment and spectacle.

Zagreus and Hypnos reemerged, soaked and breathless and laughing and sharing clumsy, open-mouthed kisses. Their foreheads bumped together, noses nuzzling, hands reaching to stroke and grab and _grope_ within the relative obscurity of the water. Before long, their fingers would stray over increasingly more sensitive places and their laughter would devolve: first, into needy gasps -- then, into all-out moans.

And Hypnos would never discover what those other jars contained.

**Author's Note:**

> Artwork by my wonderful wife, [@obernatos](https://twitter.com/obernatos).
> 
>  **Please note** I am currently not looking for criticism, constructive or otherwise, on my work. This piece was written for free, for fun, and to help spread the word about this lovely ship. Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading. ♥


End file.
